Current Events > JRPGs from the 90s really aged bad

(+) Yeah! (+)

On Phantasy Star IV and sticking with it but this dialog is terrible. Like it was written for toddlers. Then suddenly a prostitute says she'll show the 16 year old main character a good time.

Ok Japan make up your mind here. Are modern JRPGs any better?

chained echoes goat

LeoRavus posted...

. Are modern JRPGs any better?

Than PSIV? Yes.

Play them with the speedup button hotkeyed. I map mine to RT.

Changed Echoes is my favorite jrpg from the 90s

FF5 still holds up.

some 90s jrpgs still hold up. some modern jrpgs are phenomenal like trails games

LeoRavus posted...

Ok Japan make up your mind here. Are modern JRPGs any better?

Most aren't. Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Dragon Quest XI S are good.

Chrono Trigger for me
I like it less and less each year since the retcons

What about Grandia

Questionmarktarius posted...

FF5 still holds up.

FF5 having a better story than FF4 is a hill I'm willing to die on.

FL81 posted...

FF5 having a better story than FF4 is a hill I'm willing to die on.

Anyone who has experienced the FFIV story since becoming capable of thinking critically about anything would agree with you. That isn't a high hill.

ellis123 posted...

Anyone who has experienced the FFIV story since becoming capable of thinking critically about anything would agree with you. That isn't a high hill.

It's a testament to the game's quality if over 30 years later, we're still debating the story.

ohnoitschris posted...

It's a testament to the game's quality if over 30 years later, we're still debating the story.

Who debates FFV's story?

FL81 posted...

FF5 having a better story than FF4 is a hill I'm willing to die on.

FF5's story mostly stayed out of the way, which all I ever ask for in a JRPG.
Linear, yes, but not much railroading.

So did the people that played them

trappedunderice posted...

What about Grandia

hell yeah grandia is still the tits

There's a story in FFV? I think Phantasy Star IV holds up mostly well. I don't remember every line of dialogue b/t characters and NPCs but I played up to the Sky Castle in the last 3-5 years and was still having a great time. The music rules, I thought the party interactions were great. Combat is pretty snappy. I love the anime comic cut panels.

Kamil posted...

There's a story in FFV?

Go there, beat up some guy, get another job crystal, repeat.

...and then Bravely updated the formula by adding four more "repeat" at the end.

I was going to play FF5 for the first time in like 20 years via the Pixel remaster version but then I got addicted to Star Rail. It happening soon though.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/3/3/AABulwAAEgiJ.jpg

What the fuck are they even talking about? There's nothing about badminton in this game.

It's like they didn't care at all about writing back then.

FL81 posted...

FF5 having a better story than FF4 is a hill I'm willing to die on.

ellis123 posted...

Anyone who has experienced the FFIV story since becoming capable of thinking critically about anything would agree with you. That isn't a high hill.

FF4's problem is that it's riddled with cliche. But I think it deserves more leniency compared to games that came 25 years later still playing the same cliches.

FF5 was unique among the series in that it was very self-aware.

LeoRavus posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/3/3/AABulwAAEgiJ.jpg

What the fuck are they even talking about? There's nothing about badminton in this game.

It's like they didn't care at all about writing back then.

https://youtu.be/0m9QUoW5KnY

Also that appears to be a squirrel and not an old man.

trappedunderice posted...

What about Grandia

The load times and long animations make it a bit awkward IMO, but it's certianly one of the ones that fared better. You can see the improvements in this regard as the series went on, but in exchange the writing started to be not so great...

Jennywentnorth8 posted...

I was going to play FF5 for the first time in like 20 years via the Pixel remaster version but then I got addicted to Star Rail. It happening soon though.

The only concern I have about FF5's gameplay is that it requires a lot of grinding to get the most out of the job system. Which is a shame, since it's an awesome system.

TheWizardOfOrz posted...

Also that appears to be a squirrel and not an old man.

They kept saying meow so I guess they're cats.

I'm wondering what the translators were actually going for here. Apparently they have no idea what shuttlecock means

Star Ocean 2 is still amazing

Star Ocean: Second Story rules but I feel like Phantasy Star IV would be easier to play for someone being all give me a original 90s rpg. Yea the combat is real time but spells pause combat and it feels really rough now.

When did companies begin hiring decent translators?

Ps2 era?

Ps3?

trappedunderice posted...

What about Grandia

This. It's one of my all time favorites and I don't recall it having any problematic lines. The stupid gags in it still make me laugh too.

https://youtu.be/ksCMlhL9miY

Kamil posted...

Star Ocean: Second Story rules but I feel like Phantasy Star IV would be easier to play for someone being all give me a original 90s rpg. Yea the combat is real time but spells pause combat and it feels really rough now.

To be fair that was rough back when SO2 came out too, especially since magic is so garbage in that game. It is much more fun/better to just make a team with no Celine/Leon

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


It's a Genesis game. I never owned a PS4

What Conflict said. Imagine if this user tried Phantasy Star II or III. OMG TBH the only Phantasy Star I really enjoyed was IV. II is just brutal and mazes galore and dead ends and combat and slow. 3 is slow in a different way. It was more story I think, but it's really slow as the movement speed felt slowing than some NES games and that game is just a mish mash of concepts and the music fucking sucks.

Damn I have this picture I can't find in my archives where you can use an escapipe to leave a dungeon in Phantasy Star III and talk to the "king" and he goes all. Normally a smart move, but now you must reset the game.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/7/5/AAAIj0AAEgnf.jpg

The one I saved had the dialogue below that said you must reset your game. But this is more "meme worthy" so have at you. Somebody set up us the bomb.

That dusk cat is talking about wings, but instead they translated it into that

The PSOne era was the golden age of JRPGs and you can fight me on it

4 Final Fantasy entries, including everybodies favorite (7) and the actual best FF (9)
Legend of Dragoon
Legend of Legaia
Star Ocean 2
Lunar 1/2
Grandia
Wild Arms
Chrono Cross
Vagrant Story
Breath of Fire 3/4
Valkyrie Profile
Persona 1/2
Suikoden 1/2
Xenogears

I could go on and on before I ever got into weirder niche cases like Brave Fencer Musashi, which is it's own masterpiece being a bit Zelda, a bit Final Fantasy, and extremely fun. Or something like Parasite Eve mixing horror and RPG.

I'd play every one of those games again right now, and a ton of them came out pre-2000. I think a lot of the 16-bit era JRPGs have aged very poorly and float by on nostalgia, but by the mid to late 90s PSOne devs were absolutely putting out bangers

Does skies of Arcadia count? It came out in 2000.

Great game for its time, but now? Sadly no. Its one of those games carried hard by nastalgia alone.

I still can't believe final fantasy 10 only came out a year later :/

Kamil posted...

What Conflict said. Imagine if this user tried Phantasy Star II or III. OMG TBH the only Phantasy Star I really enjoyed was IV. II is just brutal and mazes galore and dead ends and combat and slow. 3 is slow in a different way. It was more story I think, but it's really slow as the movement speed felt slowing than some NES games and that game is just a mish mash of concepts and the music fucking sucks.

I remember liking II and III back in the day. Wasn't III the one where who you married determined what new characters would be created?

I may hate them now idk. First time playing IV and it is kind of addictive. Just corny as hell. And no map or any indication of what you're supposed to be doing. If you don't memorize the dialog just before a quest you have to google it.

Also they give zero hint of what techniques and skills are supposed to do. SAR, ZAN, DEBAN...either google it or try it out and see if it tells you. Some techniques don't even tell you on the screen what they're doing. It's just a flashy thing and the battle moves on. Who knows what it does.

Not sure how people got through that sort of thing in the 90s. I also tried Shining Force II and Sword of Vermillion that I remembered liking. Couldn't get past 10 minutes on either of those.

Suikoden 1 is timeless (also 2). It's amazing you can beat Suikoden in under 10/15 hours without rushing (and getting the best ending if you know what you are doing too).

LeoRavus posted...

If you don't memorize the dialog just before a quest you have to google it.

Also they give zero hint of what techniques and skills are supposed to do. SAR, ZAN, DEBAN...either google it or try it out and see if it tells you. Some techniques don't even tell you on the screen what they're doing. It's just a flashy thing and the battle moves on. Who knows what it does.

There is a party talk function, they will tell you what to do but yeah as for spell names it's like playing Shin Megami Tensei or Persona 3 you just had to learn. Chaz's Earth skill is useless I'll tell you that much. Also doesn't Deban increase defense? I may not remember all of this outta the game/gate I think Saner was agility up.

Sar is a small party heal I went for the most difficult one you posted.

Kamil posted...

There is a party talk function, they will tell you what to do but yeah as for spell names it's like playing Shin Megami Tensei or Persona 3 you just had to learn. Chaz's Earth skill is useless I'll tell you that much. Also doesn't Deban increase defense? I may not remember all of this outta the game/gate I think Saner was agility up.

I've used earth a couple times. Looks like it paralyzes an enemy.

But yeah, I keep a page open with all the skills and techniques so I know what they do. The only ones I really remembered from previous games are Res and Foi.

One thing I really don't miss about old school JRPGs is being called into battle constantly when exploring. With western RPGs you can go around enemies or run from them. Here's like every 10 steps I'm being sucked into the battle screen.

Btw are the phantasy star online games any good?

MaxEffingBemis posted...

Btw are the phantasy star online games any good?

I watched videos about them but I have no idea. There are fan servers and official servers. They seem more action oriented but only a four player party? I think at this point we will never see a Phantasy Star V (I know Streets of Rage 4 came out). But IV was the End of the Millennium and it ended so final.